Top Eight

Top eight stories for today including the World Health Organization warned the Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating as infections soar around the world to nearly the highest levels so far recorded; The federal government announced a $1.7 billion effort toward genomic studies meant to track mutations of the coronavirus; California added more jobs than any other state, and more.

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National

1.) Noting that half of coronavirus cases are being caused by variants, the federal government announced a $1.7 billion effort toward genomic studies meant to track mutations of the virus that causes Covid-19 before they become dangerous.

Diners eat in isolated dining rooms outside the Townhouse restaurant, Thursday, March 25, 2021, in Birmingham, Mich. The state had one of the country's lowest COVID-19 infection rates, is confronting an alarming spike that some experts worry could be a harbinger nationally. The infection resurgence is being fueled by loosened restrictions, a more infectious variant and pandemic fatigue. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

2.) The D.C. Circuit seemed unimpressed Friday with five satellite operators from Canada, France, the Netherlands and the U.K. that seek to opt-out of paying U.S. regulatory fees.

(Image by WikiImages from Pixabay via Courthouse News)

3.) Attorney General Merrick Garland took aim Friday at a hastily written memo from one of his predecessors in the Trump administration that sought to curtail federal authority over abuses by state law enforcement.

Attorney General Merrick Garland and acting U.S. Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman attend a service for slain U.S. Capitol Police officer William "Billy" Evans who lies in honor at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, April 13, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, Pool)

Regional

4.) Awakening slowly but surely after a harsh winter of business shutdowns and layoffs, California added more jobs than any other state in March and dropped its unemployment rate to a pandemic-low 8.3%.

FILE - This May 7, 2020, file photo shows a man wearing a mask while walking under a Now Hiring sign at a CVS Pharmacy during the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco. Friday, Dec. 4, monthly U.S. jobs report will help answer a key question hanging over the economy: Just how much damage is being caused by the resurgent coronavirus, the resulting restrictions on businesses and the reluctance of consumers to shop, travel and dine out? (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

5.) Seeing nothing wrong in the mere awareness of how new admission criteria could alter the racial makeup of a student body, a federal judge upheld changes for the 2021-22 school year at Boston’s elite public high schools.

6.) Liberty University is seeking $10 million in damages in a lawsuit against its former leader, Jerry L. Falwell Jr., who left the Virginia college amid a sex scandal last year.

This Wednesday Nov. 28, 2018 file photo shows Rev. Jerry Falwell Jr., right, and his wife, Becki during after a town hall at a convocation at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Falwell Jr. says he is seeking help for the "emotional toll" from an affair his wife had with a man who he says later threatened his family. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

International

7.) The head of the World Health Organization warned Friday that the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating as infections soar around the world to nearly the highest levels so far recorded.

Kashmiris wait in queue to register themselves to test for COVID-19 in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Thursday, April 15, 2021. India's two largest cities imposed stringent restrictions on movement and one planned to use hotels and banquet halls to treat coronavirus patients amid a devastating surge that is straining a fragile health system. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

8.) Russia expelled 10 U.S. diplomats from its country Friday, firing back one day after the U.S. issued sanctions against the Kremlin for interfering in the 2020 U.S. election and orchestrating a massive cybersecurity breach.

The entrance gate of the Embassy of the Russian Federation is seen in Washington, Thursday, April 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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